Members of new U of A advisory council announced

University of Arizona President Robert C. Robbins announced the 16 inaugural members of his newly appointed University Advisory Council on Monday afternoon.

“I am particularly encouraged to have students, faculty, staff, department heads and deans working together in the same room to collaboratively address issues,” Robbins wrote in his email to employees.

The council, which has been met with backlash from some members of the university’s Faculty Senate, was announced late last month after the Arizona Board of Regents criticized the Faculty Senate.

Unlike its peers including the Faculty Senate and the Graduate Student Council, for example, the newly created University Advisory Council members are not elected. They are instead appointed by Robbins.

In Monday’s Faculty Senate meeting, Professor Wolfgang Fink, a senator and member of the Committee of Eleven, presented a letter the committee sent to Robbins condemning the newly formed University Advisory Council.

“They do NOT represent the Faculty Senate, the Committee of Eleven and/or other elected shared faculty governance bodies, recognized by (state law) and university policies dating back to 1947,” the letter states. “UAC is a selected body, and NOT to be misinterpreted as an elected shared faculty governance body in compliance with Arizona Law.”

The one dissenter from that letter, Faculty Senator and Executive Director of Arizona Online Caleb Simmons, was announced Monday as a member of the new council.

Robbins wrote that the new council “will not in any way diminish the input or impact of other shared governance patterns.”

The committee’s first meeting takes place next week.

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Faculty members appointed are Eller College of Management Professor William Neumann, Law Professor Tessa Dysart, Nutritional Sciences and Wellness Professor Melanie Hingle, College of Medicine Tucson Professor Lucinda Rankin, Religious Studies Professor, Regents Professor of Medicine Marvin Slepian and Simmons.

Staff members appointed are Aaron Davis Martinez, associate director of Blue Chip Leadership experience; Amanda Kraus, the associate vice president of campus life and executive director for disability resources and chief accessibility officer; Melanie Madden, program manager of curricular affairs; Cheree Meeks, assistant dean of the W.A. Franke Honors College; Danielle Oxnam, project director of university initiatives and policy; and Christina Rocha, manager of research, innovation and impact at the business center.

Students Tobi Adigun, the president of the Bobcat Honorary Society; Jeremy Bernick, the president of the Graduate and Professional Student Council; and Alyssa Sanchez, the president of the Associated Students of the University of Arizona, are also on the council.

Susan Brown, the Eller College of Management MIS Department Head will also serve on the council.

Additionally, Robbins wrote that he is “reconstituting the President’s Cabinet.” It will include leadership from the Staff Council, the Faculty Senate, Deans Council, Department Heads network, the University Advisory Council, the Associated Students of the University of Arizona, the Graduate and Professional Student Council, the Strategic Planning and Budget Advisory Committee and members of the president’s senior leadership team.

“This collection of esteemed campus leaders will meet as a team, enabling the institution to have a more informed, consistent and unified approach to address challenges and inform decisions that best advance the university’s mission,” Robbins wrote.

This cabinet will meet quarterly.

The creation of the new council and the update to the cabinet comes on the heels of attacks on shared governance in the state legislature, which Robbins addressed in his email.

“With the complex issues facing higher education and the university, I believe this is a critical time to engage in broad and inclusive dialogue across our community,” Robbins wrote. “As we expand the number of voices and perspectives informing decision making, members of my leadership team and/or I will attend meetings of each group and communicate regularly with these organizations.”